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Tuesday, July 18, 2017

Is it desperation, OCD, or is there actually some “there” there?

Who dares to deny that the circus-like atmosphere
surrounding the Trump presidency is the most unusual political phenomenon in
recent memory?

There is a lot of true craziness among the anti-Trump crowd.
They criticize him for virtually everything, or nothing. Like the non-story
involving Poland’s First Lady, who set the anti-Trump world ablaze when, after
her husband and Trump shook hands, she had the audacity to shake the hand of
Mrs. Trump before greeting the president. Oh, the horror! And daughter Ivanka
sat in for him briefly at the G-20 meeting wearing a pink dress with – gasp –
bows on it!

Perhaps the best evidence of compulsive obsession and the
Left losing its grip on reality was Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Cal., who wanted to
impeach Trump before he was even sworn in.

Other evidence of the high degree of obsession comes from a
survey by the drug and alcohol rehabilitation group Detox, which found that “Over
73 percent of Democrats would give up drinking for the rest of their lives if
it led to the impeachment of President Donald Trump...” Teetotaling would be
good for those Democrats, as well as the country, however the survey did not
provide a mechanism for assuring allegiance to the pledge.

It is quite likely that many people who desire impeachment
don’t understand what it is or how it works. Impeachment is a political remedy;
it deals with breaches of public trust, or injuries done immediately to the
society itself, by certain government officials, but not criminal activity.

The grounds for impeachment require the significant
likelihood that "Treason,Bribery, or otherhighCrimesandMisdemeanors" (crimes
by public officials against the government),have been
committed, according to Article II, Section 4 of
the U.S. Constitution. It is not the appropriate solution for those dissatisfied with the results of
an election, or the most fervent wish to be rid of a president some don’t like.

Impeachment does not remove a president from office. It is
the first step in a two-step process; bringing formal charges against him or
her, much like a grand jury indictment. Remember, Bill Clinton was impeached by
the House of Representatives in 1998, but went on to serve out his term as
president because he was not convicted in step two, the trial by the U.S.
Senate, requiring the affirmative vote by at least two-thirds of its members.

The only other successful impeachment of a president was Andrew Johnson, who was acquitted by the Senate in 1868. Richard
Nixon likely would have been impeached and convicted over the Watergate affair a
few decades back, but avoided impeachment by resigning from office.

The record for presidential impeachment shows it is a
difficult process without much success, as deliberately designed by the
Founders.

Failures don’t impede Democrats in their efforts at futile
goals, however. Obsession and compulsion are tough masters to defeat. Perhaps
their real goal is just stirring up negative opinion among their faithful
followers to interfere with the president’s agenda.

“If
they had a good case based on real information, I think they would mention it
by now and put their cards on the table,” said Ken Boehm, chairman of the
National Legal and Policy Center, a conservative government watchdog group. He
is also a former Pennsylvania state prosecutor and former counsel for the board
of directors at the Legal Services Corporation. Talking with The Daily Signal,
he added, “They don’t have high crimes and misdemeanors. They don’t have low
crimes and misdemeanors.”

Despite any compelling evidence, or even evidence that isn’t
compelling, those on the Left who have rallied to the idea include: MoveOn.org,
Democracy for America, and other progressive or “resistance” groups, and a
group of Congressional Democrats who either don’t understand the issues or the
process, or just seek recognition.

After
admitting nothing has yet been proved, Kaine said, “We’re now beyond
obstruction of justice, in terms of what’s being investigated. This is moving
into perjury, false statements, and even potentially treason.”

California Rep. Brad Sherman actually has introduced articles of impeachment, although the House
Democrat leadership hasn’t fallen in line with that move. The effort is almost
certain to fail because only one Democrat, Al Green, has signed on to it, and
based on known facts, it won’t go anywhere in a Republican-controlled Congress.

At some point, however, Democrats must chill down the
rhetoric. Emotion and desire, however fervent and crushing they may be, must be
put aside, an objective look at the actual case must be undertaken, and then
they need get back to performing the national service for which they were
elected. Fixing Obamacare and filling hundreds of government positions, for
example, are important issues.

Obstruction of the nation’s business and deliberate clouding
of the national narrative are harmful to the country.